Scenario II: You dressed for a day at your desk or running errands, and suddenly a key meeting is scheduled. You look unprofessional with no time to commute back to your closet to change.

Scenario III: You hate to shop. You have had weeks to put together an outfit for a certain event, but you keep putting it off.

Now what?

Do you show up in your slobwear? Not an option. Instead, you go speed shopping for something presentable to wear later that day.

We all know that panicky shopping leads to paying too much for stuff you don't really like and probably won't wear again. Why does it have to be that way?

Well, it doesn't.

To prove my point, I created a Beat the Clock Shopping Challenge. Could I put together a business-appropriate outfit — top to bottom — in under an hour for less than $100? You know the answer.

It's a resounding yes, and you can do it too, stress-free, by following my guidelines. You just need a game plan. Here goes:

In the interest of speed, efficiency and frugality, I picked Forever 21 as my one-stop deadline destination because it carries everything I would need.

That's the first rule: Limit your options. When possible, shop at just one store where you've had success in the past, or just a few stores that are very close together. This makes the job less overwhelming (and time-consuming).

So, we're off. I spin through the revolving doors, hit the button on my stopwatch and … start shopping.

Work from the feet up. First, get the shoes. Depending on what's available, they'll dictate color choice for the rest of the outfit. Stick to basics. No open toes (not professional). No 5-inch platform stilettos (ditto). I was happy to find some work-worthy kitten heels in can't-go-wrong black.

Time: 4 minutes, 25 seconds

Now pick a basic outfit color — and stick with it. Camel. Navy. Black. Gray. Beige. I settled on black, not just because it would go with the shoes but because a quick look around showed me that the selection of black pieces in the store was huge. Plus, it's slimming. It's forgiving (cheaper fabric and poor construction look better in dark shades). And, you can dress it up or down easily.

Choose a skirt or a dress in that basic shade. Locating trousers that fit — they often are way too long for instant wearability — can take forever. And this is deadline shopping. Forget the pants option.

A simple black dress would have been the perfect fast choice, but I couldn't find one that looked right. They were too revealing. Too short. Too shiny.

So the hunt was on for a black skirt. Less than 15 minutes into my challenge, I found an outstanding candidate. To save time running back and forth from the dressing room, and because sizing is so inconsistent, it's always wise to take multiple sizes of the same thing to try on.

Time: 14:35

In case the skirt didn't work, I snagged a backup dress in a subtle black/gray herringbone for my pile of possibilities and started to think about top options to try with that skirt.

It took only a couple of minutes to locate a black cardigan (instead of a jacket). You can't go wrong with classics.

Time:17:10

However, all that black was getting to be too much of a good thing, so now came the fun part: Pick a pop ofcolor to perk it up.

I grabbed silky blouses in three styles and a trio of colors — magenta, emerald and coral — to try with the staples. I had as much as I could carry, so I headed for the dressing room.

Time: 23:47

I needed to make quick judgments. To check the back, find a three-way mirror. The herringbone dress looked terrible. Don't linger over the losers.

There was much mixing and matching of blouses and sweater, but the unadorned neckline of the green shirt was an easy choice — leaving me time and budget to buy jewelry to polish the outfit.

Time: 41:04

A black and "crystal" necklace added just a touch of sparkle but still kept with my keep-it-simple mantra.

Time: 43:25

I'd been keeping a rough total of my choices and realized I was well under my $100 limit.

So I went back for more. I picked a few splurges that could add to the look — a fabulous leopard coat and a pretty purse, both spotted early in my look around.

Time: 45:15

I couldn't stop there. For just a few more bucks (well, $31.60) I picked up some glittery pieces — a little purse and a sequined shrug (for over that green blouse) to transform from "I'm all business" into an evening that has nothing to do with work.

I walked out of the store with a giant bag filled to the top.

Time: 47:58

I beat the clock with more than 12 minutes to spare. Now it's your turn.